So, The New York Times has just published its list of must-see places to go in 2019
and nestled quietly in the top 25 destinations is none other than the Falkland Islands.
We’re not talking tropical island paradise here, we’re talking about a remote, archipelago
in the South Atlantic, more than 700 islands exposed to the harsh elements, with a tiny
population of just over 3,000.
A territory as empty as it is inhospitable.
Nevertheless, this windblown backwater was the cause of intense political tension in
the second half of the twentieth century, culminating in a war between the United Kingdom
and Argentina.
It’s important to understand here that for Argentinians, the Falklands issue is a national
issue.
Argentinian children learn very, very early that the Falklands are a part of Argentina..
For them, the British “occupation” of the islands was nothing more than imperial
plunder.
“In peace with nobility and in peace with honour.
But we will also chase anyone who dares touch a square metre of Argentine territory”
So given its controversial history, the New York Times listsparked a few questions:.
Do the Falkland Islands belong to Argentina?
And why are they so important to mainland Argentinianss?
After all, Argentina is a huge country, the eighth largest country in the world.
So why all the fuss about this remote, inhospitable and largely uninhabited archipelago?
Well, this video aims to answer these questions..
First things first, Let’s find out how it all began…
THE ORIGIN OF AN ENDLESS DISPUTE
The beginning of the nineteenth century.
The Spanish colonies in America begin to protest against Spanish rule.
The recent United States Declaration of Independence and the French Revolution have ignited a desire
for autonomy and freedom that cannot be suppressed.
In 1808, the Napoleonic invasion of Spain led to the dismantling of Madrid’s power
and that kicked off a race towards independence that more or less resulted in Latin America
as we know it today.
So it was that on May 25th, 1810, just two years after the French occupation of Spain,
the municipal council of the City of Buenos Aires decided to replace the Viceroy of the
Río de la Plata with the First Government Junta.
Argentinians today think of this as their first patriotic government.
Argentina was on its own road to revolution but it wouldn’t be free of Spain until six
years later.
On July 9th, 1816 came the proclamation of independence of the United Provinces of the
Rio de la Plata.
And this is where the first confusion arises:
You see, many people think that the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata, created in 1776 by
King Carlos III of Spain, was synonymous with what we know of today as Argentina... but
it wasn’t the case.
Let me explain.
While it’s true that the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata included modern-day Argentina,
it also included Uruguay, Bolivia and Paraguay.
Some of you must be thinking, “Hang on Simon, where do the Falklands fit in with all of
this?”
Well the fact is that Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, along with the Falkland Islands,
were all part of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata…
The thing is, I don’t think that you’ll find many Argentinians claiming sovereignty
over Paraguay, Bolivia or Uruguay these days.
And of course if they did, everyone would think they were crazy.
So why the Falklands?
The fact that the Falklands were part of this mammoth Viceroyalty which belonged to the
Spanish crown is not surprising.
What is surprising is Argentina’s claim on the Falklands, especially given that, until
this territory was consolidated as a British sovereignty, it was passed back and forth
between European powers numerous times.
(FROM HAND TO HAND, FROM PLAY TO PLAY)
The history of the Falkland Islands is actually much simpler and shorter than some may think.
You see, until the mid 1700s the FalklandIslands weren’t even inhabited on a permanent basis.
And the first people to live there permanently were not the British or the Spanish, but the
French.
Yes, you heard that correctly, the French.
But, that’s only the start.
Between 1764 and 1833, the islands passed from one nation to another:
first from France to Spain, then to England, then backto Spain and finally, since 1833,
the Falkland have been under British sovereignty.
So let’s do some quick addition.
Since they began to be permanently occupied, the Falklands have been under Spanish sovereignty
for just over 40 years and under British sovereignty for more than 180 years.
So why does Argentina stake its claim so vigorously?
Well it all goes back to the time between the May Revolution and the subsequent declaration
of independence of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata.
At that time, the local authorities began sending expeditions to the Falkland islands,
which they considered their own.
And this is precisely where the controversy arose.
Because while the Argentinian version insists that the English snatched part of their territory
in 1833, the truth is that, at that time Argentina was still a work in progress and its borders
were far from defined.
Not convinced?
Check this out:
Just five years before the British returned to the Falklands in 1833, Argentina lost Uruguay;
What’s more, it took until 1862, that’s almost three decades later, for Argentina
to have a national president.
In other words, in 1833 when the English regained control over the Falklands, Argentina’s
borders were yet to be decided, there was no Argentinian national government, and so
of course they didn’t have anything like a national army.
In fact, it may seem hard to believe, but between the years 1852 and 1860, the state
of Buenos Aires wasn’t even part of the Argentine Confederation.
But in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t so extraordinary.
Stories rely on continuous changes in the rules of the game.
Viewed through a historical prism, sovereignties come and go all the time.
Now, it’s clear that history can be framed and interpreted in many different ways.
And that may explain why many Argentinians insist that when the English reasserted control
over the Falklands in 1833, the islands were already a part of Argentina as we know it
today and therefore, part of the Argentinian homeland.
But, let's see,190 years later and can you guesshow many people of Argentinian origin
live in the Falkland Islands today?
Only 18.
In fact, there are almost ten times as many inhabitants from Chile as there are from Argentina.
Nevertheless, not so long ago, the contested sovereignty was grounds for war.
(AN UNEXPECTED WAR)
Ever since the British regained control of the Falkland Islands, Argentina has wanted
them back.
It’s been like a national obsession through the generations.
In 1888 they began publishing maps that included these previously disregarded islands within
Argentina’s borders.
Now let’s just be clear that, apart from the map redesign, there were no great claims
on the Falklands from either side until the Second World War.
Up until then, Argentina and England were two friendly allies.
In fact, the Latin American country that received the most direct and indirect investments from
England was Argentina.
But... after the Second World War...
Everything changed.
For one thing, commercial relations between the countries were no longer as significant.
Secondly, the election of General Perón as Argentina’s president gave weight to his
nationalist and anti-imperialist discourse.
And thirdly, the newly created United Nations was focused on the process of decolonization.
In fact, UN resolution 2065 invited Argentina and the UK to clear up the matter of the Falklands’
sovereignty in 1965.
But within just two years of this resolution, the situation had taken a 180-degree turn.
In 1967 London told the Argentinian government that it was willing to cede sovereignty over
the Falklands, but on one condition: they had to respect the wishes of the kelpers,
or Falkland Island inhabitants.
The only problem was that the kelpers opposed any sovereignty transfer point blank.
In fact, they actively mobilized against the possibility by creating what became known
as the “Falklands Lobby”.
And it seems that at the time, the British government was willing to deliver, or at least
share, sovereignty over the Falklands in exchange for commercial agreements.
Let me stress here that it was the islands’ inhabitants themselves who prevented this:
( “In the mid-1960s pragmatism would have probably led the British government to transfer
the sovereignty of the Falklands had not the Falklands Lobby arisen to counter the pressure
of Argentine demands”.
Clive Ellerby, an English researcher, author of the work “Role of the Falklands Lobby”.
And that is how things stood on April 2nd, 1982.
(“May the world know, and America, of a people with a will, of the Argentine people:
if they want to come, let them, we’ll fight them.”)
On that day, a grim military government led by General Leopoldo Galtieri held power in
Argentina.
It was a discredited and repressive regime, without the people’s support and responsible
for one of the darkest periods in Argentina’s modern history.
Many citizens were branded political prisoners, thousands more simply disappeared, and a huge
economic crisis was crippling the economy.
On that day, Galtieri’s government made a fateful decision:
Gain the people’s support by feeding their patriotic fervour.
The Argentinian government decided to invade and occupy the Falkland Islands.
The Argentinian authorities expected this move to spur a diplomatic agreement to be
reached rapidly with the UK.
However, they underestimated this woman's determination:
Margaret Thatcher, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, was willing to fight a war
thousands of kilometres away.
The outcome was disastrous.
The British army’s technological and military superiority, coupled with the Argentinian
government’s lack of planning - they carried out the invasion with many young, poorly equipped
and poorly trained soldiers - allowed the United Kingdom to recover the islands in a
little over two months.
So once again, a tyrannical government’s political decision ended with a war as unnecessary
as it was useless, costing the lives of hundreds of people.
Look, we know how sensitive these types of border issues can be.
And with this video we want to put some facts on the table and maybe give you a new perspective:
Because throughout history, territories have passed from one power to another.
For more than 300 years what is now Argentina was under Spanish rule, for more than 180
years the Falklands have been British.
But what does it matter who was or wasn’t right 200 years ago?
Isn’t it more important to think about where we are today and to build a more harmonious
future?
Just a reflection from VisualPolitik.
Now, here are some more questions; Why is there so much interest in the Falklands?
What’s special about these islands?
These are topics we’re going to address in an upcoming video here on VisualPolitik.
But before we go, we’d really like to hear your thoughts: What do you think should happen
with the Falklands?
Leave your answers in the comments as well as in the survey.
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the vocals in this episode that were not mine.
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